Laredo, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Separate city license per massage establishment location
- License fee
- $100.00 nonrefundable, annual
- Massagist permit fee
- $75.00 nonrefundable, annual
- Operating hours
- Closed 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., Sec. 21-119
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, fine up to $200.00
- Enforcing agency
- Laredo Police Department, chief of police
Summary
Every massage establishment in Laredo needs a city business license, and every massage therapist needs a separate massagist's permit, under Code of Ordinances Sec. 21-102. The police department investigates each applicant's background and fingerprints them, the license costs $100.00 a year, the massagist's permit costs $75.00 a year, and businesses must close between midnight and 8:00 a.m.
(a)Business License Required: No person shall engage in or carry out the business of massage unless he has a valid massage business license issued by the city pursuant to the provisions of this article for each and every separate office or place of business conducted by such person.(b)Massagist's Permit Required: No person shall practice massage as a massagist, employee or otherwise unless he has a valid and subsisting massagist's permit issued to him by the city pursuant to the provisions of this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 3 | Land Development Code: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
Article VI of Chapter 21, adopted in 1985, treats massage as a licensed profession rather than a zoning use. Sec. 00 annual license fee, and submit to review by the police, building, fire and health departments, which must inspect the premises and report compliance within 30 days; the police department separately investigates the applicant's character. Sec. 00 annual permit, submit fingerprints, two photographs, a physician's certificate confirming freedom from communicable disease, and proof of at least 70 hours of instruction at a recognized massage school.
Sec. 21-106 lets the city deny a license or permit if the applicant, an officer, a stockholder holding more than 10 percent of the business, or the manager was convicted of a violent felony, a sexual offense, or a felony narcotics or weapons offense, unless five years have passed with no further convictions. Sec. 21-115 imposes facility standards: waterproofed steam and shower rooms, sanitizing equipment for reusable instruments, closed linen cabinets, and one water closet per twenty employees or patrons of a given sex. Sec.
21-117 bars anyone under 18 from the premises except on lawful business, Sec. 21-118 bans alcohol on site entirely, and Sec. m. A license or permit expires one year from issuance and can be revoked after notice and a hearing before city council.
Violations & Fines
Operating a massage business or practicing massage without the required license or permit, or violating any provision of Article VI, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 21-126, punishable by a fine of up to $200.00. The police chief may also revoke or suspend a license or permit after notice and a hearing for a violation, a false statement on an application, or a disqualifying conviction; a revoked permittee has ten days to file a written appeal with the city secretary for a city council hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Laredo require a special license for massage businesses?
What disqualifies someone from getting a Laredo massage permit?
What hours can a Laredo massage business stay open?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Laredo
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